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A groundbreaking study has identified a protector protein, MCL-1, that plays a vital role in supporting hair regrowth in adults. This discovery offers new insights into potential treatments for alopecia, an autoimmune disorder affecting nearly 2% of the global population, causing non-scarring hair loss.
Researchers from Australia, Singapore, and China, whose findings were published in Nature Communications, focused on hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs), the cells responsible for hair regrowth and repair. They found that MCL-1 is essential for the proper functioning of these activated HFSCs. Without MCL-1, these cells experience stress and eventually die, leading to hair loss.
Hair follicles cycle through three distinct phases: anagen (growth), catagen (transition), and telogen (rest). HFSCs drive this cycle. The study revealed that when HFSCs undergo stress, such as from hair shaft loss or follicle shrinkage, they can undergo apoptosis, or programmed cell death, contributing to hair loss. This process is regulated by the BCL-2 family of proteins, which determines cell survival or death.
While MCL-1, a member of the BCL-2 family, was known to promote cell survival, its specific role in HFSC regulation was previously unclear. The researchers conducted experiments on mice, deleting the MCL-1 gene from skin cells and removing patches of hair.
They found that the absence of MCL-1 from birth led to gradual hair loss due to the decline of HFSCs over time. In adult mice, MCL-1 deletion rapidly destroyed active HFSCs, halting hair regeneration in the removed hair patches. However, inactive HFSCs remained intact.
Further investigation revealed that when these inactive HFSCs became active and began dividing, they experienced stress, triggering the P53 protein, which regulates cell death. Notably, deleting the P53 gene restored hair growth even without MCL-1, suggesting a collaborative role between MCL-1 and P53 in maintaining cell survival and death balance in hair follicles.
The study also highlighted the importance of the ERBB signaling pathway, which controls cellular processes, in maintaining active HFSC survival by increasing MCL-1 production.
These findings provide a deeper understanding of the molecular pathways governing hair follicle growth and cell death, paving the way for innovative strategies to treat alopecia and prevent hair loss.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a single study published in Nature Communications. While the findings are promising, further research is necessary to validate these results and develop effective treatments for human application. The information provided should not be interpreted as medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making any decisions related to your health or treatment.(
More information: Hui San Chin et al, MCL‑1 safeguards activated hair follicle stem cells to enable adult hair regeneration, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58150-5
